Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Pre-rolled joints are sold in three ways: pure; with the non-tobacco
“hamburger helper” herbal mix; or rolled with tobacco. (Pure marijuana
joints are easier to i nd now than before the ban on tobacco smoking.) Some
shops sell individual joints (averaging about $4 each). Others sell only small
packs of three or four joints.
Shops also sell marijuana and hash in little baggies, which usually cost
$15 to $20. Shops have loaner bongs and new-fangled inhalers for the health
nuts. h ey dispense cigarette papers like toothpicks. Some shops sell bags
in uniform weights, others in uniform prices. I'm told the better pot, with
a higher price tag, is not necessarily more expensive—as it takes less to get
high and gives you a better high.
Locals warn Americans—unaccustomed to the strength of the local
stuf —to try a lighter leaf. In fact, they are generally very patient in explain-
ing the varieties available. American tourists, giddy at the chance to smoke
in public without the paranoia that comes with smoking back home, are
notorious for overdoing it. When they call an ambulance, medics just say,
unsympathetically, “Drink something sweet and walk it of .”
h e tax authorities don't want to see more than 500 grams (about a
pound) on the topics at the end of each accounting cycle. Being caught with
too much inventory is one of the more common ways shops lose their license.
A shop could retail a ton of pot with no problem, as long as it maintains that
tiny stock and rei lls it as needed. h is law is designed to keep shops small and
prevent them from becoming bases for exportation—which would bring more
international pressure on the Netherlands to crack down on its cof eeshop
culture. (Amsterdam's mayor—understanding that this regulation just has
the city busy with small-time deliveries—has proposed doubling the allow-
able inventory level to a kilo. Just the thought of a big city mayor grappling
with a practical issue like this so pragmatically is striking.)
h e wholesale dimension of the marijuana business is the famous “gray area”
in the law. Rather than deal with that complex issue, Dutch lawmakers just left
wholesaling out of the equation, taking the “don't ask, don't tell” route. Most
shops get their inventory from the pot equivalent of home brewers or micro-
brewers. Shops with better “boutique suppliers” get the reputation for having
better-quality weed (and regularly win the annual Cannabis Cup trophy).
Everyone I've talked with in Amsterdam agrees that pot should never be
bought on the street. Well-established cof eeshops are considered much safer,
as their owners have an incentive to keep their trade safe and healthy.
